U.S. Mental Health Issues - Statistics & Facts

Despite what some may think, mental health problems are common in the United States and around the world. Mental health issues, much like other health issues, can be mild, but can also be life altering, affecting the emotional, social, and psychological well-being of the person. Common types of mental illness include mood disorders, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, and personality disorders. Although symptoms of mental illness differ depending on the type of illness and seriousness of the problem, common symptoms of mental health issues include changes in sleeping and eating habits, social withdrawal, feelings of hopelessness, anger, and prolonged sadness, suicidal thoughts, and substance abuse. In 2022, it was estimated that around 36 percent of those in the U.S. aged 18 to 25 years and 29 percent of those aged 26 to 49 years suffered from some form of mental illness in the past year.

How common is depression in the United States?

Depression is one of the most common types of mental disorders in the United States with around 8.8 percent of U.S. adults reporting a major depressive episode in the past year as of 2022. Although anyone can experience depression, it is more common among women than men and younger adults than older adults. For example, in 2022 around 19 percent of women aged 18 to 20 reported a major depressive episode in the past year compared to 5.8 percent of women aged 40 to 44 years. Depression is a major risk factor for suicide so it is important for anyone who is suffering from depression and having thoughts of suicide to seek help. In 2022, around 33 percent of those in the U.S. with a major depressive episode in the past year had serious thoughts of suicide compared to just two percent of those who did not have a major depressive episode.

The connection between mental health and substance abuse

Substance abuse has been known to promote symptoms of mental illness and those with mental illness will often abuse substances as a form of self-medication. In 2021, around 26 percent of U.S. adults who reported alcohol dependence or abuse had serious mental illness. Those suffering from mental illness also use illicit drugs of all kinds at higher rates than those without such illness. For example, almost 34 percent of adults who had mental illness in the past year as of 2021 used marijuana, compared to 15 percent of adults who did not suffer from mental illness.

Mental health treatment

Treatment for mental health issues can come in many different forms and depends on the type and severity of the disorder. Common treatment methods include psychotherapy, behavioral therapy or counseling, medication, hospitalization, or support groups. Somewhat ironically, the use of psychedelic drugs has also recently been explored in treating a number of mental health disorders. The most common types of professionals seen for treatment among adults with a major depressive episode include a general practitioner or family doctor, psychiatrist, psychotherapist, or a counselor. However, around 43 percent of adults in the U.S. report they did not receive mental health services because they could not afford it and 35 percent said they did not know where to go for such services.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Percentage of females with any mental illness within the past year: 26.4%

Percentage of male youth with a major depressive episode within the past year: 11.5%

Number of adults that received prescription medication for mental health: 33.8m

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Total mental health funding by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) from FY 2013 to FY 2024 (in million U.S. dollars)

Industry & Market

Total mental health funding by National Institutes for Health 2013-2024

Substance use among adults in the United States as of 2022, by any mental illness

Mental Health & Substance Abuse

Substance use among adults in the U.S. by any mental illness 2022

Number of U.S. adults who received mental health treatment or counseling in the past year from 2002 to 2022 (in millions)

Mental Health & Substance Abuse

Mental health treatment or counseling among adults in the U.S. 2002-2022

Overview

Basic Statistic Most important health issues facing the U.S. according to U.S. adults 2023
Most important health issues facing the U.S. according to U.S. adults 2023
Percentage of U.S. adults that thought select health issues were most important for the U.S. as of 2019 and 2023
Premium Statistic Share of Gen Z who feel mental health and well-being is important in the U.S. 2022
Share of Gen Z who feel mental health and well-being is important in the U.S. 2022
How important is mental health and personal well-being to you in your everyday life?
Basic Statistic Mental illness among U.S. women 2008-2022
Mental illness among U.S. women 2008-2022
Percentage of U.S. women who had any mental illness in the past year from 2008 to 2022
Basic Statistic Any mental illness among U.S. men 2008-2022
Any mental illness among U.S. men 2008-2022
Percentage of U.S. men who had any mental illness in the past year from 2008 to 2022
Basic Statistic Any mental illness in the past year among U.S. adults by age and gender 2022
Any mental illness in the past year among U.S. adults by age and gender 2022
Percentage of U.S. adults with any mental illness in the past year as of 2022, by age and gender
Basic Statistic Primary mental health issues among U.S. college students 2023
Primary mental health issues among U.S. college students 2023
Percentage of mental health clinicians who stated select issues were the top concerns of their college student patients during the 2022-2023 academic school year
Basic Statistic Is federal investment in mental health research enough in U.S. 2022
Is federal investment in mental health research enough in U.S. 2022
Opinion about the scope of federal investment in mental health in the U.S. as of 2022
Premium Statistic Total mental health funding by National Institutes for Health 2013-2024
Total mental health funding by National Institutes for Health 2013-2024
Total mental health funding by the National Institutes for Health (NIH) from FY 2013 to FY 2024 (in million U.S. dollars)

Depression

Basic Statistic Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. adults by age and gender 2022
Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. adults by age and gender 2022
Percentage of U.S. adults with a major depressive episode in the past year as of 2022, by age and gender
Basic Statistic Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. women 2022, by age
Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. women 2022, by age
Percentage of U.S. women with a major depressive episode in the past year as of 2022, by age
Basic Statistic Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. men 2022, by age
Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. men 2022, by age
Percentage of U.S. men with a major depressive episode in the past year as of 2022, by age
Basic Statistic Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. youths by gender 2004-2022
Major depressive episode in the past year among U.S. youths by gender 2004-2022
Percentage of U.S. youths with a major depressive episode in the past year from 2004 to 2022, by gender
Basic Statistic Share of U.S. adults who had been diagnosed with depression, 2017 and 2023, by gender
Share of U.S. adults who had been diagnosed with depression, 2017 and 2023, by gender
Percentage of adults in the United States who had been diagnosed with depression in their lifetime in 2017 and 2023, by gender
Basic Statistic U.S. adults who had or were being treated for depression, 2017 and 2023, by age
U.S. adults who had or were being treated for depression, 2017 and 2023, by age
Percentage of adults in the United States who currently had or were being treated for depression in 2017 and 2023, by age
Premium Statistic U.S. adults who had or were being treated for depression, 2017 and 2023, by race
U.S. adults who had or were being treated for depression, 2017 and 2023, by race
Percentage of adults in the United States who currently had or were being treated for depression in 2017 and 2023, by race and ethnicity

Other disorders

Basic Statistic Percentage of the U.S. population that had anxiety disorders from 1990 to 2019
Percentage of the U.S. population that had anxiety disorders from 1990 to 2019
Share of the U.S. population who suffered from anxiety disorders from 1990 to 2019
Premium Statistic Percentage of the U.S. population with bipolar disorder from 1990 to 2019
Percentage of the U.S. population with bipolar disorder from 1990 to 2019
Share of the U.S. population who suffered from bipolar disorder from 1990 to 2019
Premium Statistic Share of the U.S. population with an eating disorder from 1990 to 2019
Share of the U.S. population with an eating disorder from 1990 to 2019
Percentage of the U.S. population who suffered from eating disorders from 1990 to 2019
Premium Statistic Share of the U.S. population with an eating disorder from 1990 to 2019, by gender
Share of the U.S. population with an eating disorder from 1990 to 2019, by gender
Percentage of the U.S. population who suffered from eating disorders from 1990 to 2019, by gender
Basic Statistic Share of the U.S. population with schizophrenia from 1990 to 2019
Share of the U.S. population with schizophrenia from 1990 to 2019
Percentage of the U.S. population with schizophrenia from 1990 to 2019
Basic Statistic Percentage of U.S. college students with mental disorders in 2022-2023
Percentage of U.S. college students with mental disorders in 2022-2023
Percentage of college students with diagnosed mental disorders in the United States in 2022-2023, by disorder

Mental illness and substance use

Premium Statistic Alcohol dependence or abuse among U.S. adults by level of mental illness 2022
Alcohol dependence or abuse among U.S. adults by level of mental illness 2022
Alcohol dependence or abuse among adults in the United States as of 2022, by level of mental illness*
Basic Statistic Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder - U.S. adults by gender 2022
Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder - U.S. adults by gender 2022
Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder among U.S. adults as of 2022, by age and gender*
Basic Statistic Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder U.S. 2022, by employment
Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder U.S. 2022, by employment
Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder among U.S. adults as of 2022, by employment status*
Premium Statistic Substance use among adults in the U.S. by any mental illness 2022
Substance use among adults in the U.S. by any mental illness 2022
Substance use among adults in the United States as of 2022, by any mental illness
Basic Statistic Substance use among youths in the U.S. by major depressive episode 2022
Substance use among youths in the U.S. by major depressive episode 2022
Substance use among youths in the United States as of 2022, by major depressive episode*

Mental illness and suicide

Basic Statistic Male suicide rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2021, by age group
Male suicide rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2021, by age group
Male suicide rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2021, by age group (per 100,000 population)
Basic Statistic Female suicide rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2021, by age group
Female suicide rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2021, by age group
Female suicide rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2021, by age group (per 100,000 population)
Premium Statistic Suicide thoughts among U.S. adults by serious psychological distress 2022
Suicide thoughts among U.S. adults by serious psychological distress 2022
Suicide thoughts, plans and attempts among U.S. adults as of 2022, by serious psychological distress*
Basic Statistic Suicide thoughts among U.S. adults by major depressive episode 2022
Suicide thoughts among U.S. adults by major depressive episode 2022
Suicide thoughts, plans and attempts among U.S. adults as of 2022, by major depressive episode*
Premium Statistic Distribution of U.S. suicide deaths with select mental illness in 2020, by gender
Distribution of U.S. suicide deaths with select mental illness in 2020, by gender
Distribution of U.S. suicide deaths in 2020, by gender and mental health status

Focus: Mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic

Basic Statistic Mental stress changes among U.S. adults, April 2020 to January 2021, by month
Mental stress changes among U.S. adults, April 2020 to January 2021, by month
Changes in mental stress among adults in the U.S. from April 2020 to January 2021, by month
Basic Statistic Share of U.S. adults with mental health/substance issues from Apr.-May 2020, by race
Share of U.S. adults with mental health/substance issues from Apr.-May 2020, by race
Prevalence of current depression, suicidal thoughts/ideation, and substance use increase or initiation among U.S. adults from April to May 2020, by race*
Basic Statistic Share of U.S. mental health screenings with anxiety 2019-2021, by ethnicity
Share of U.S. mental health screenings with anxiety 2019-2021, by ethnicity
Percentage of U.S. adults showing moderate to severe anxiety during voluntary mental health screenings in 2019 and 2021, by ethnicity*
Basic Statistic U.S. adults who reported anxiety disorder symptoms from Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023
U.S. adults who reported anxiety disorder symptoms from Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023
Percentage of respondents in the U.S. who reported symptoms of anxiety disorder in the last seven days or two weeks from April 2020 to October 2023*
Basic Statistic U.S. adults with anxiety disorder symptoms from Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023, by gender
U.S. adults with anxiety disorder symptoms from Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023, by gender
Percentage of respondents in the U.S. who reported symptoms of anxiety disorder in the last seven days or two weeks from April 2020 to October 2023, by gender*
Basic Statistic U.S. adults who reported depressive symptoms in the last week Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023
U.S. adults who reported depressive symptoms in the last week Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023
Percentage of respondents in the U.S. who reported symptoms of depressive disorder in the last seven days or two weeks from April 2020 to October 2023*
Basic Statistic U.S. adults who reported depressive symptoms from Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023, by gender
U.S. adults who reported depressive symptoms from Apr. 2020-Oct. 2023, by gender
Percentage of respondents in the U.S. who reported symptoms of depressive disorder in the last seven days or two weeks from April 2020 to October 2023, by gender*

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Key figures

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of "U.S. mental health issues" and take you straight to the corresponding statistics.

Percentage of adults with serious mental illness who also had alcohol dependency
24.9%
Detailed statistics
Alcohol dependence or abuse among U.S. adults by level of mental illness 2022
Percentage of LGB+ adults with serious mental illness using illicit drugs
65.2%
Detailed statistics
Share of U.S. LGB adults with mental illness who reported substance use in 2022
Percentage of unemployed adults with a mental illness and substance use disorder
16%
Detailed statistics
Co-occurring mental illness and substance use disorder U.S. 2022, by employment

Suicide rate among males aged 25 to 44 years (per 100,000 population)
30
Detailed statistics
Male suicide rate in the U.S. from 2001 to 2021, by age group
Percentage of people in psychological distress that had serious thoughts of suicide
25.9%
Detailed statistics
Suicide thoughts among U.S. adults by serious psychological distress 2022
Percentage of people with a major depressive episode that had serious thoughts of suicide
33.3%
Detailed statistics
Suicide thoughts among U.S. adults by major depressive episode 2022

Top hospital for adult psychiatry in the United States
McLean Hospital (Belmont, MA)
Detailed statistics
Top hospitals for adult psychiatry in the U.S. 2023
Most common professional seen by adults with a major depressive episode
General practitioner/family doctor
Detailed statistics
Type of professional seen among U.S. adults with a major depressive episode 2022
Percentage of adults that did not seek mental health services because they could not afford the care
46.4%
Detailed statistics
Reasons for not receiving mental health services among U.S. adults 2022